Exhibiting or sign-display apparatus



D. B. DOVEL.

zxmamus on sum DJSPLAY APPARATUS.

' APPLICATION H ED APR. 3, 1916' L PatentedSept. 21,1920.

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EXHIBITING 0R SIGN DISPLAY APPARATUS. I

APPLICATION FILED APR.3. 1,916.

1,353,734. Patented Sept. 21, 1920.

4 snmssuw a A D. B. DOVEL. EXHIBITlNG 0R SIGN DISPLAY APPARATUS.

. APPLICATION men APR.3. 1916'. 1,353j 734 ,v v PatentedSept. 21,1920.

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EXHIFITING OR SIGN-DISPLAY ,APPARATUS;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Pa-tented. Sept. 21, 1920.

Application filed. April 3, 1916. Serial No. 88,551.

mg is a specification.

This invention relates to an exhibiting or sign display apparatus ,-designed to be disposed in railroad stations,'hotels, store windows and other public places, for the purpose of displaying consecutively and intermittently a continuous series ofsigns, arranged upon an endless traveling belt and employed in conjunction with illuminating means to give a desired effect.

The object of the invention is to provide an exhibiting or sign displaying apparatus in which the sign displaying mechanism is arranged within a water-proof casing, which may be exposed for out-door display so as to protect all the parts of the sign mechanism in inclement weather, and which is also so constructed as to permit of the ready assemblage, disassemblage, cleaning, repairs and changing of the elements of the con tained sign mechanism whenever occasion requires.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sign display mechanism including a moving transparent or translucent web carrying the sign matter and which is posi' tively driven in operation from an electric motor and automatically maintained in a taut condition, and which is periodically moved to bring portions thereof carrying different signs into position before a display opening and maintained for a predeter mined period in displaying osition.

A still further object of t e invention is to provide a sign display apparatus in which the moving web is arranged to form a loop in proximity to the display opening, the stretch of the web which forms the forward member of the loop being spaced sufficiently from the rear member of the loop to provide an illuminating chamber or zone into which light is projected, the arrangement being such as to provide for illumination in diiferent colors so as to produce an ornamental and attractive type of mecha nism.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement .ofv parts herein fully described and claimed,

reference being had to the accompanying drawlngs 1n wh1ch:,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a Sign,

display apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2.is a central vertical front to rear section therethrough.

Fig. .3 is a vertical front to rear section taken on the line 3+3 of Fig. 1. V

Fig. 4: is a horizontal transverse section through the display apparatus. I

Flgs. 5 and 6 are detail viewson an enlarged scale of the'parts of the motion transmitting mechanism.

Fig. 7 isa diagrammatic view of the circult arrangemen s Fig. .8 is a detail view showing a feature of construction. V i

Fig. 9 is a side elevation showing a modified' construction of. motion transmitting mechanism.

Fig. 10 is an edge view of the same.

Fig. 11 is a view of the opposite side of the cam disk from that shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is a detail view of the adjustable cam plate.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents an inclosing' box or casing, which is made of metal or other light, strong and durable material, and which may be constructed in practice so as to be hung from .or' secured to any suitable support. In practice, the parts of the casing will be preferably made of flat and angle metal strips and sheet metal plates suitably secured together to provide a water-proof inclosure for the contained working parts. At the front the casing is provided with a hinged door2, and at the sides or ends, with hinged doors 3'and 4., designed to be fastened in closed position by any suitable type of fastening means generally indicated at 5, whereby access may be obtained to the front and sides ofthe casing for convenience in reaching all of the parts of the display mechanism, so as to adapt the same'to be The signs or other matter to be displayed are printed or'otherwise placed upon a moving endless belt or web 8, which may be made of vellum, celluloid or otherpreferred transparent or translucent material, and the side edges of this web or strip are suitably ranged in the upper portion of the casing adjacent to the sides thereof.

The endless web or belt is arranged in the form of a series of vertical loops 15 which pass at their lower ends over guiding and tension rollers 16, journaled at their ends in guide slots 1? in bracket plates 13 suitably fastened to the casing. Preferably said rollers are journaled in bearing blocks 19 which are vertically movable in the slots and are controlled by tension devices 20, each consisting of a spring 21, a head or plate 22, to which the bearing block and the spring are attached and a screw stem 23 for adjusting the head or plate, whereby the rollers are normally held acted upon by spring pressure to take up any slack which may exist in the web, while at the same time the spring may be tensioned to vary the tension 011 the web to any degree desired.

The endless web also has a front portion arranged in the form of a loop 24 which is disposed immediately in rear of the panel 7 and which is formed by portions of the web passing around upper and lower guide rollers 25 and 26, the stretches of the web forming said loop 24 thus being maintained spread apart to form an intervening light transmitting space 27. The signs are illuminated by means of electric lights 28 which are secured to wooden strips 29 at the sides of the casing adjacent to the front wall thereof, preferably by means of brackets 30 which are fastened to the adjacent corner angles of the casing. The lights 23 are arranged in groups of three, two, groups on each wooden strip, the bulbs of each group being preferably of three different colors, and said bulbs being arranged in an electric circuit 31 in such a manner that a bulb of the same color in each group will be simultaneously lighted, and the bulb of the clifferent colors successively lighted in regular or irregular order as desired,the means for opening and closing the circuit comprising a circuit breaker 32 arranged upon a hori- Zontal shaft 53 driven from an electric motor 34, which may be supplied with current from any suitable source. It will thus be evident that the front stretch of the loop 24, which will be constantly changing, but will always present, when the web is at rest, a complete sign or display through the panel 7 will be illuminated by the passage of the rays of light projected into the light transmitting space by the lamps. Thus the display signs will be positively illuminated so as to be clearly observed at a considerable distance during the day or night, and as the light will be constantly varied in color it will be seen that an ornamental and attractive type of sign display mechanism is produced.

The shaft 33 is adapted to transmit intermittent motion to the supporting and drive rollers 12 through the medium of intervening gearing and clutch mechanism, which gearing comprises a spur gear 35 mounted on a stub shaft 33 journaled on a bracket 37 which is suitably secured to the casing. Fixed to this spur gear 35 is a miter or beveled gear 38 which meshes with a similar gear 39 loosely mounted on the shaft 33, the hub 40 of said gear 39 being journaled upon a bracket 41 suitably secured to the bracket 37. This hub a0 is formed with a clutch notch or recess 42 adapted to receive a tooth or projection 4:23 on the upper end of a sleeve 44. The sleeve 44 is fittedto slide vertically on the shaft 33, but is connected for rotation therewith by means of a pin 45 projecting from the shaft and engaging a slot 46 in the sleeve, the construction being such that when the sleeve is moved upward it will couple the gear 39 to the shaft 33 to revolve therewith, while on the downward movement of the sleeve it will release the gear 39 which will turn idl on said shaft, provision thus being made fbr transmitting mcition to the endless web at proper interva s.

The sleeve 4A is provided with an annular groove 17 to receive projections 48 upon the fork arms of a forked lever 49, which lever is pivotally supported upon a bracket arm 50, and norm ally held in a depressed condition by a spring 51. The said lever has a depending arm as which is adapted to be engaged and elevated once upon each revolution of the shaft 33 by means of a striker or tapper arm 52 on a shaft 53 journaled upon the bracket 50, so that once on each revolution of the shaft 53 the lever 49 will be raised to throw the clutch device into action, the spring 51 serving after the passage of the tappet 52 beyond the arm l9 to move the lever back to normal position and throw the clutch 56 to traverse the surface of a heart-shaped cam member 57 and a cam groove 58 formed between one side of said cam member and a cam plate 59, whereby to impart motion to the clutch member 44. The said cam member 57 and cam plate 59 are mounted upon one side of a' fiat circular disk 60 which is keyed or otherwise fixed to the shaft 53, and the point of the cam member 57 is loosely mounted on said shaft for pivotal motion. The construction and arrangement of the cam surfaces is such as to positively rock the lever arm 49 downwardly and upwardly, once on each revolution of the shaft 33, to positively throw the clutch member 44 into and out of action at and for prescribed periods. Both the cam member and cam plate are adjustable to vary these time periods of action, and to this end the cam member 57 is provided on its side facing the disk with a laterally projecting pin or stud 61 which projects into and through a slot 62 formed in the disk and is engaged at opposite sides by micrometer screws 63 carried by posts or studs 64 on the disk. By this construction the cam member may be pivotally adjusted on the shaft 53 as an axis in a forward or rearward direction, considering the direction of rotation of the gear, to advance or retard the clutch shifting action and to give a micrometer adjustment to regulate the movement of the curtain before the glass panel and to space and regulate the time period of operation of the same accordingly. The plate 59 is adjustable to accord with the degree of adjustment of the cam member 57 by means of segmental slots 65 therein receiving clamping screws 66 which pass through said slots and work in threaded openings in thedisk, whereby the plate may be adjusted and clamped in adjusted position in an obvious manner.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the construccharacter which is simple of construction,

positive, reliable and elficient in operation, and which may be employed for either internal or external use in public edifices and at public places and provides an alluring and attractive presentation of the sign or other matter by, virtue of the varicolored illumination of the acting portions of the web.

I claim A display apparatus comprising a substantially rectangular casing, an upper series of guiding and driving rolls arranged in a common horizontal plane and geared together, a lower series of guiding and tensioning rolls, all arranged normally in a comm-on horizontal plane, spaced parallel plates arranged within the casing adjacent the bottom thereof, each plate having a plurality of parallel slots, blocks slidably fitted in the respective slots, the rollers of the lower series being journaled in' said slots, springs arranged in said slots and bearing against the blocks for tensioning the lower series of said rollers, elevating guiding rollers arranged in a higher plane than the rollers of the upper series, an endless belt passing alternately over the upper rollers and under the lower rollers and also passing over said elevated rollers to clear the upper set of guiding rollers,.the rollers of the lower series being independently yieldable and means for positively driving all of said upper guiding rollers at the same speed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, DARLEY B. DOVEL.

Witnesses CLAIRE DOVEL, MAY DOVEL. 

